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The Zealot

The Zealot

Dark FantasyFantasy
Pages
128
Published
2019

Synopsis

The continent of Greater Virren teeters on collapse, its cities in ruin and its roads left to marauders as the plague tightens its grip. Katarina Lorenz and her companion Tannhauser journey west in search of the source behind the sickness and the whispered words that seem to drive it, contending with human treachery and older, stranger forces along the way. Behind them comes Ezekiel, who has survived against all odds and now pursues the pair, driven by a need for vengeance and vindication. Considerably longer than the trilogy's opening installment, this second volume widens the scope across a continent under siege and braids several points of view into one tightening pursuit. It deepens the grim atmosphere of the first book while pushing its central mystery toward the forces that set the plague in motion.

Prose complexity
7/10

Vibe

DarkTenseGrittyAdventurousMysterious
QuestSurvivalRevengeMultiple POVsMorally Grey

Genres

Dark Fantasy Fantasy High Fantasy Horror

About the author

M
Mitchell Lüthi

A South African writer and producer based in Cape Town, Mitchell Lüthi is known for dark, atmospheric medieval horror and grimdark fantasy. Before turning to long-form fiction he worked across scripts, short stories and radio plays, and his short story 'The Bone Fields' earned an honorable mention in the 2020 L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Competition. His debut full-length novel, Pilgrim: A Medieval Horror, follows a German knight's nightmarish return from the Crusades, while his Plaguebo...

Characters

Katarina LorenzProtagonist

The warrior noblewoman of Rothenburg, now journeying west across the ruined continent in search of the source of the plague.

EzekielAntagonist

A zealot who survives against the odds and relentlessly pursues Katarina and Tannhauser, driven by vengeance and a need for vindication.

TannhauserSupporting

Katarina's steadfast companion on the journey through plague-stricken Greater Virren.

All characters in The Zealot

Frequently asked questions

  • How does The Zealot compare to The Ritual in length?

    It is considerably longer, around three times the length of the opening novelette, and broadens the story across a much larger stretch of the plague-stricken continent.

  • Who is the zealot the title refers to?

    Ezekiel, who survives against the odds after the events of The Ritual and pursues Katarina and Tannhauser, driven by vengeance and a need for vindication.

  • Can I start the series with The Zealot?

    It is not recommended. The Zealot continues immediately from The Ritual and assumes familiarity with Katarina and Tannhauser, so reading the first book first gives the fullest experience.

  • Does The Zealot follow more than one point of view?

    Yes. Alongside Katarina and Tannhauser's journey west, the narrative also follows Ezekiel's pursuit of them, weaving several threads together.

  • What is the setting?

    The continent of Greater Virren, now deeper into collapse, with cities in ruin and roads left to marauders as the plague spreads unchecked.

  • Is The Zealot the final book in the trilogy?

    No. The Plagueborne Trilogy is planned as three books, and a third volume has not yet been published.